In this edition of UnifiEd’s School Board Watch Blog, we’ll take a look at the agenda for the February 18th regularly scheduled session of the Hamilton County School Board Meeting. The meeting will be held in the Hamilton County School Board Meeting Room at 3074 Hickory Valley Road and is set to begin at 5:30 PM. We will be there live tweeting. Follow along on Twitter: @UnifiEdHC, #HCSchools.

Hot Topics:

Waiving TN Ready data for Teacher/Principal Evaluations: The Hamilton County Board of Education strongly urges the Tennessee General Assembly and the Tennessee Board of Education to provide a waiver form utilizing the TN Ready data for the use of teacher and principal evaluations for the school year 2015-2016. Gov. Bill Haslam made an announcement providing teachers with the choice to include or not to include student results from the 2015-2016 TNReady assessment in his or her evaluation score. Read more here: https://www.tn.gov/news/37601.

Final Reading of Board Policy 3.210: Naming New Facilities: The new board policy will require any citizen, board member, or school personnel who wishes to name a new school facility to submit their request with supporting reasons and a petition with a minimum of 50 signatures from the community representing that school zone. The chairperson for that zone will then send the recommendation to the board for a vote at the next scheduled meeting.

On the consent agenda for Thursday’s meeting, the board is scheduled to approve:

Field Trips

East Hamilton School, Hixson High School, Lookout Valley Middle/High School, Ooltewah High School, Ooltewah Middle School, and Soddy Daisy High School will participate in sports related field trips.

East Hamilton High, East Hamilton Middle, and CSAS will participate in career and technical education related field trips.

Calvin Donaldson Academy, Signal Mountain Middle/High School, Soddy Daisy High School, STEM School Chattanooga, and Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts will participate in science related field trips.

Center for Creative Arts, Chattanooga High Center for Creative Arts, and Lookout Valley Middle/High School will participate in creative arts related field trips.

Chattanooga School for Arts and Sciences and Soddy Daisy High School will participate in club related field trips.

East Hamilton School, East Ridge High School, Ooltewah Middle School, Chattanooga High Center for Creative Arts, and Soddy Daisy High School will participate in band related field trips.

Red Bank High School and Soddy Daisy High School will participate in JROTC related field trips.

Recommended approval of the Benwood Letter of Agreement to support the completion of the Benwood 1:1 Technology Initiative, Dev Dev digital literacy program and the Teacherpreneur Incubator for the period covering March 1,2016 to June 30, 2017 (funding source: HCDE for $431,748)

International Baccalaureate Conference/Workshop in Atlanta, GA for Signal Mtn. Middle/High School (funding source: General Purpose Budget for $24,334.52)

Financial Reports

The monthly financial statement compares actual year-to-date expenditures to the original adopted budget and the year-to-date amended budget through December 19, 2015.

Budget Amendments

Approval is needed to amend the FY16 General Purpose Operating Budget for the attached transfers between accounts. No additional funds are needed.

Approval is recommended to appropriate Fund Balance Committed for Education carried forward from prior year to purchase school technology from Committed for Education Fund Balance to Regular Instructional Equipment for $58,507.

Grant Application Requests

The Administration is requesting acceptance and approval of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; UTC Talent Search. Talent Search provides academic, career, and financial counseling to its participants and encourages them to graduate from high school and continue on to and complete their postsecondary education. This program identifies and assists individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds who have the potential to succeed in higher education (funding source: Department of Education for $230,000).

Campus Support

Horse Park Road ROW Easement: Hamilton County Government has requested a 30’ wide easement at “Parcel G” located behind Central High School. The easement will allow for wide access roads and will allow access to the future developments at “Parcel G”. Road construction and engineering costs will be the responsibility of Hamilton County Government.

East Ridge High School-Cell Tower: Recommendation to enter into a lease with Tower Assets Newco IX LLC for the leasing of property at East Ridge High School for the purpose of installing a telecommunication station and antenna structure. The school will receive a donation of $10,000 and $750.00 per month from the lease agreement. HCDE will receive additional rent in the amount of 35% of the revenue received from each carrier whose equipment is installed on the tower after the second carrier.

Ooltewah Elementary Addendum to Deed: Request for the amendment to the existing deed of the Ooltewah School Property. The amendment keeps the language concerning operation of a school, but makes it applicable to the individual owners of the lots instead of the entire property.

Selection of Realtor for East Brainerd Elementary: Request to select a realtor that will assist in the negotiation and closing of the property for East Brainerd Elementary.

Board Policy

Second and Final Reading of Board Policy 3.210: Naming New Facilities: The new board policy will require any citizen, board member, or school personnel who wishes to name a new school facility to submit their request with supporting reasons and a petition with a minimum of 50 signatures from the community representing that school zone. The chairperson for that zone will then send the recommendation to the board for a vote at the next scheduled meeting.

Board Matters

The Hamilton County Board of Education strongly urges the Tennessee General Assembly and the Tennessee Board of Education to provide a waiver form utilizing the TN Ready data for the use of teacher and principal evaluations for the school year 2015-2016.